I spent an excellent week in the Pieniny range of mountains and national park in the Tatras in the south of Poland before New Year. Niedzica Castle was as wonderful as ever with French champagne (chilled Laurent Perrier NV - my favourite NV) on the high tower at twelve with lots of fireworks. Demanding walks up and down the rutted tracks on the pine-forested slopes of the park. Poland has some of the best hiking in Europe with excellent maps and clearly marked routes.

The excursion into Slovakia was a revelation. This spectacular country is so seldom written about (only one Brandt Guide exists). Such picturesque landscape particularly the snow-covered High Tatras. Evocative wooden Orthodox churches dot this region - the finest collection in Europe. The originally 14th century unknown multicultural region of the Spis is fascinating.

First to white Strazky Manor on the Poprad River, a 16th century Renaissance mansion where the French film director Alain Robbe-Grillet (Last Year in Marienbad) shot L'homme qui Ment (The Man who Lies). Then on to the Renaissance town of Levoca and Spis Castle. This monumental construction on a hill above a plain once seen can never be forgotten. Reminded me of Krak de Chevalier in Syria.

Now back in Warsaw where it is -16C at night and -8C during the day under tons of snow. Very picturesque where I live in Mlociny. Deer feed daintily in the snow on the slopes near the Palac Bruhla before my writer's window.

I am working hard on the Australian concert pianist book. Remarkable discoveries. Edward Cahill (see previous post) even played Chopin and Liszt in the Shagai Fort at the entrance to the Khyber Pass on the largest concert tour of Asia ever mounted at that time. It was organised by the impresario Frederic Shipman who managed the beautiful Annette Kellerman dubbed 'The Perfect Woman' as she had the exact vital statistics of the Venus de Milo. No not a fashionable shape today - more's the pity!

The opening concert of Chopin 2010 in Warsaw with the Chinese pianist Lang Lang was rather a disappointment for a purist like myself.The Andante Spianato was over sentimentalised, the Grand Polonaise virtuosic but rumbustious and the concerto entirely predictable and full of cliched haltings and rushings. He has fabulous finger technique, beautiful tone but is too much of a showman in the Liberace mould for my taste and plays to, and often flirts with, the cameras. Chopin requires a noble, refined and restrained style of contained romanticism not a physical Olympic display. Why did not the Chopin Institute choose a young Polish pianistwho understands the 'Polish element' in Chopin? Because promoting 'Chopin the Brand' as opposed to 'Chopin the Soul' seems to be driving this year rather than artistic considerations. Well, we shall see as the year progresses...

A chance to 'discover' another work by the once famous Polish composer,
Aleksander Tansman (1897-1986), once considered as important as Szymanowski. The
magnificent violin concerto we heard earlier in the festival cemented him in my
mind as an outstanding composer inexplicably rather overlooked in the West at
least by popular opinion. The cultural iron curtain perhaps operating as a psychological
and prejudicial barrier once again. Tansman was a distinguished Polish composer
born in Łódz and a virtuoso pianist. After further studies in Warsaw he moved
to Paris where his less than conservative composing style was appreciated by Stravinsky
and Ravel. He also had a highly successful concert career as a pi…

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11CHOPIN'S MANOR 8.00 PMPiano RecitalSERGEI BABAYANThis distinguished musician and pianist requires little introduction. He has appeared at the most famous international music festivals with all the great orchestras of the world under the most renowned conductors, at the finest music venues as well as having been awarded most of the glittering prizes. For me his most outstanding claim to fame is his close relationship with the composer and pianist Daniil Trifonov as teacher, guide, philosopher and friend.

I was unfortunately unable to attend this recital and recordings of it are unavailable.SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 CHOPIN’S MANOR 4:00 PM Piano recital ERIC LU For
such a young man Eric Lu has achieved great things which …

Initially I think it interesting and instructive to briefly examine the rather exotic Polish-Turkish relations of the past. You may have already read this on a previous post but it remains extremely relevant and you may have already come across it.

Over the centuries this fascinating and involved subject has had a profound influence on Polish history. This was especially true in the 17th century at the spectacular Siege and subsequent Battle of Vienna (12th September 1683) that witnessed the victory of the Polish Husaria or Winged Cavalry under the command of King Jan Sobieski over the vastly superior military forces of the Ottoman Empire under the Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha. Historic relations between the two countries were initiated around 1414 with a Polish mission to the Ottoman Empire. Many wars followed over territorial claims in the Back Sea region. This was balanced in a way by supportive collaboration against the Habsburgs and the emerging Grand Duchy of Musco…

Australian author and classical musician.
He seriously studied the piano and harpsichord in London for many years.
His piano teacher was Eileen Ralf, a former professor at the Royal Academy of Music and the inspiring teacher of the great Australian pianist Geoffrey Tozer.
His harpsichord teacher was Maria Boxall, editor of the keyboard works of the English Baroque composer and organist John Blow as well as a renowned Harpsichord Method.
He yearns for the South Pacific islands but through a number of unlikely events and coincidences beached up on the cold shores of the Baltic.